LA, Consulates and the Opioid Crisis
Martha Hernandez, a community health worker for the L.A. County Department of Public Health, demonstrates administering Narcan and helping someone during an overdose emergency, with the help of resident Jose Magaña Lozano.Responding to a sharp rise in opioid overdose deaths among Latinos, LA County public health officials have teamed up with consulates for Spanish-speaking nations to distribute Narcan and raise awareness of opioid risks.
Narcan is highly restricted in Mexico, so immigrants are unlikely to know much about it. In contrast, Narcan hits pharmacy shelves this month across the U.S. without a prescription. The ongoing surge, as well as FDA approval of Narcan's over-the-counter use, made consulates a priority for the training.One common misconception Hernandez runs into surrounds Narcan’s packaging, which says nasal spray in large letters on the box.
Martha Hernandez, community health worker for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, presents information about various resident and community services available to the public. “I tell them, if I saw my mom on the floor I would administer Narcan,” Hernandez said. “Why? Because my mom will go to her sister’s house and say ‘my neck or my knee hurts’ and her sister will pop out a pain medicine [that she has.] A lot of us, being Latinos, will pop it into our mouth. How do I know what she put in her mouth?”Fake prescription pills are partially fueling the country’s opioid crisis, especially in western states.
“We can see or hear the ribs fracturing or possibly even the breastbone,” she tells the audience, rapidly pumping the dummy’s ribcage. “But remember, it's better for your loved one to have fractured ribs and a living heart."
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